Keeping battery in good shape with solar

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Willowflowage

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 22, 2018
Posts
79
Location
Ladysmith Wis
Just ordered my first 100 watt panel and charge controller. While my tt is in the driveway which for now will be 75% of the time, is it fine to let the panel keep my battery up to par?
    I can charge it first to near 100%, but should this be enough to maintain two golf cart 6v? Also any downside or should I keep it plugged it to shorepower charging? I use a batterminder 1510 in the basement for the winter.
 
If the batteries are fully charged, and the only draw on your system are parasitic loads, a 100 watt panel should keep two 6 volt batteries topped off just fine - as long as there is "decent" sunlight. If you have a series of cloudy days, you may want to plug it in to keep the batteries topped off. You'll start to get a feel for how well the solar is doing under various conditions if you check it once a week for awhile.

Kev
 
A side note.i have a clip on 7 watt panel. Is it worth incorporating this with the new 100 watt? I'm thinking not. but just using it to maybe power a motercycle
Battery for charging cellphones.
 
I think you might be pleasantly surprised how well the solar works. Depending on amount of sun and how well you clean the panel from time to time. It should not be a problem.

But do check things a good bit to start out..
 
There is more to keeping a battery/batteries in good shape than just charging.. You must also keep them clean,,corrosion free,,above 50% of charge,,and keep the electrolyte above the plates.. This is the only way to get maximum life from your set.>>>Dan
 
lead acid batteries have self discharge rates from 1 to 5% per month
the discharge curve is not linear, the highest loss will occur in the first few days after a charge.
additionally, self discharge is effected by temperature, the higher the temperature, the higher the self discharge.
to reduce sulfation effects one should charge at a rate of at least 1% of C ( nominal capacity )

for a 100 A/hr group 31 12 V battery your 100 Watt panel is not far off..
 
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